{"id":13111,"date":"2017-10-22T12:50:26","date_gmt":"2017-10-22T07:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/?p=13111"},"modified":"2023-08-11T18:40:26","modified_gmt":"2023-08-11T13:10:26","slug":"free-open-source-forum-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/free-open-source-forum-software\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Best Free Forum Software and Open Source Forum Software"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: georgia, palatino, serif;\"><em>Want to create a forum website for free using free discussion forum software? Here are top 8 best free forum software and open source forum software.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">As you are reading this \u201c<strong>how to create a forum website for free<\/strong>\u201d post, we can assume that you are interested in creating your own free forum.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Is that right?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Well, <strong>online forums<\/strong> are one of the best places where you can have discussions with millions of people across the globe. You can share your ideas or point of views on something in public, connect with like-minded people and do a whole lot more using online discussion forums.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Creating online forums is very easy as all you need is reliable and\u00a0good forum software (<a href=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/best-forum-software-free-paid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>free forum software<\/strong> or\u00a0<strong>paid forum software<\/strong><\/a>) which is going to help you in setting up your online discussion board.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/free-open-source-forum-software\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-13115 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/open-source-forum-software.jpg\" alt=\"open source forum software \" width=\"700\" height=\"413\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/open-source-forum-software.jpg 700w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/open-source-forum-software-150x89.jpg 150w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/open-source-forum-software-300x177.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">If you think that popular paid membership forum software like <span style=\"color: #000000;\">vBulletin<\/span> and <span style=\"color: #000000;\">PlushForums<\/span> are too much expensive and you can&#8217;t afford any of them then you can go for some best <strong>free forum software <\/strong>and open source forum software like <span style=\"color: #000000;\">phpBB<\/span> and <span style=\"color: #000000;\">ZetaBoards<\/span> etc.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">There are many <strong>open source forum software<\/strong> which can be used for creating forums for free of cost. In this guide, we have compiled a complete list of top 8 best free discussion board software and free forum software which are quite easy to use and manage.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #eee; padding: 15px 15px 15px 15px; margin: 2px 2px 15px 0px; border-left: 10px solid #39B54A;\" align=\"justify\"><strong>You might also like to see: <\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/best-forum-software-free-paid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Top 13 Best Online Forum Software (Free and Paid)<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents:<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #000000;color:#000000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #000000;color:#000000\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/free-open-source-forum-software\/#Top_8_Best_Free_Forum_Software_and_Open_Source_Forum_Software\" title=\"Top 8 Best Free Forum Software and Open Source Forum Software\">Top 8 Best Free Forum Software and Open Source Forum Software<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/free-open-source-forum-software\/#phpBB\" title=\"phpBB\">phpBB<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/free-open-source-forum-software\/#Simple_Machines_Forum\" title=\"Simple Machines Forum\">Simple Machines Forum<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/free-open-source-forum-software\/#bbPress\" title=\"bbPress\">bbPress<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/free-open-source-forum-software\/#ZetaBoards\" title=\"ZetaBoards\">ZetaBoards<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/free-open-source-forum-software\/#PunBB_Forums\" title=\"PunBB Forums\">PunBB Forums<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/free-open-source-forum-software\/#MyBB\" title=\"MyBB\">MyBB<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/free-open-source-forum-software\/#Vanilla_Forums\" title=\"Vanilla Forums\">Vanilla Forums<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/free-open-source-forum-software\/#Flarum\" title=\"Flarum\">Flarum<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Top_8_Best_Free_Forum_Software_and_Open_Source_Forum_Software\"><\/span>Top 8 Best Free Forum Software and Open Source Forum Software<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Which is the best open source forum software to create a free forum?\u00a0What are the best online forum platforms?\u00a0<strong>How to create a forum website from scratch?\u00a0<\/strong>These are some of the most popular and widely searched terms over the internet, and that\u2019s the main reason for us to bringing out this free forum software list guide.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">So, are you ready to know what the best discussion forum software is? Let\u2019s begin our <strong>list of free forum software<\/strong> which can be used for creating a forum and building your own online community:<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"phpBB\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.phpbb.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">phpBB<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>phpBB<\/strong> is one of the best open source forum software which will help you in setting up your online forum board in no time. You get free package manager which will help you in creating fast and high-quality forums in no time. As phpBB comes under General Public License, you can also make changes to the code without taking any permission.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9439 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/phpbb.png\" alt=\"phpbb\" width=\"866\" height=\"675\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/phpbb.png 866w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/phpbb-150x117.png 150w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/phpbb-300x234.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Simple_Machines_Forum\"><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.simplemachines.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Simple Machines Forum<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Written in PHP and Licensed under BSD, <strong>Simple Machines Forum<\/strong> is best forum software which is available for free. Creating forums is very easy with Simple Machines Forum as it comes with easy tutorials and step by step detailed instructions to set up an online board.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9440 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/simple-machines-forum.png\" alt=\"simple machines forum\" width=\"1407\" height=\"996\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/simple-machines-forum.png 1407w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/simple-machines-forum-150x106.png 150w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/simple-machines-forum-300x212.png 300w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/simple-machines-forum-1024x725.png 1024w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/simple-machines-forum-211x150.png 211w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1407px) 100vw, 1407px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Simple Machines Forum has MYSQL database in the backend for keeping track of all the members.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"bbPress\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bbpress.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">bbPress<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">If you are using WordPress and want to create a forum for your blog then you can use <strong>bbPress <\/strong>forum software. This best free forum software is actually a WordPress Plugin which will set up online forum board for you in no time. Using different options you can set up the\u00a0forum on WordPress blog in no time.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-9438\" src=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/bbPress.png\" alt=\"bbpress\" width=\"650\" height=\"427\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/bbPress.png 534w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/bbPress-150x99.png 150w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/bbPress-300x197.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"ZetaBoards\"><\/span>ZetaBoards<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Creating a forum is now easy with <strong>ZetaBoards<\/strong>. You get a full featured and customized online discussion platform where you can host unlimited posts and members for free. You don\u2019t need any web hosting if you are planning to use ZetaBoards this is a free forum hosting. If you are not able to set up the forum you can seek official help from ZetaBoards.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9442 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/zetaboards.png\" alt=\"zetaboards\" width=\"905\" height=\"677\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/zetaboards.png 905w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/zetaboards-150x112.png 150w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/zetaboards-300x224.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 905px) 100vw, 905px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"PunBB_Forums\"><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/punbb.informer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">PunBB Forums<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The next discussion forum software which makes to our list is <strong>PunBB Forums<\/strong>. This is a lightweight PHP based forum which consumes very fewer server resources and makes it easy for one to access all the features which it comes with.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9444 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/PunBB-forums.png\" alt=\"punbb\" width=\"718\" height=\"526\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/PunBB-forums.png 718w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/PunBB-forums-150x110.png 150w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/PunBB-forums-300x220.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 718px) 100vw, 718px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This <strong>responsive forum software<\/strong> is published under General Public License which makes it extremely easy for one to access all the features which it provides for free.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"MyBB\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/mybb.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">MyBB<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">If you are looking for a user-friendly online forum software then we suggest you go with <strong>MyBB<\/strong>. Compiled in PHP\/MYSQL you will get advanced features in this best free forum software which are offered by many premium discussion board platforms. MyBB is having one of the best professional scripts which you can get for free on any discussion board.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13112 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/create-a-free-forum.png\" alt=\"create a free forum\" width=\"736\" height=\"507\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/create-a-free-forum.png 736w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/create-a-free-forum-150x103.png 150w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/create-a-free-forum-300x207.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 736px) 100vw, 736px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Vanilla_Forums\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vanillaforums.com\/en\/software\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Vanilla Forums<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Vanilla Forums<\/strong> is widely used by business across the globe. This open source forum software allows users to establish their community and customization options make it easy for one to make changes to the discussion board as per their ease.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9445 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/vanilla-forums.png\" alt=\"vanilla forums\" width=\"1022\" height=\"626\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/vanilla-forums.png 1022w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/vanilla-forums-150x92.png 150w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/vanilla-forums-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/vanilla-forums-223x137.png 223w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1022px) 100vw, 1022px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Flarum\"><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/flarum.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Flarum<\/a><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Last but not the least is <strong>Flarum<\/strong>, a next generation forum creation software which you can use for free and create endless forums. The online discussion board is created by using Mithril.js and PHP. If you are looking for a <strong>forum creation software<\/strong> with advanced features then you can use Flarum.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13114 alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/how-to-create-a-forum.png\" alt=\"how to create a forum \" width=\"868\" height=\"411\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/how-to-create-a-forum.png 868w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/how-to-create-a-forum-150x71.png 150w, https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/how-to-create-a-forum-300x142.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 868px) 100vw, 868px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Creating your own personalized forums is now extremely easy with these best online forum software and <strong>open source forum software<\/strong>. We hope this tutorial helped you in creating a forum website for free.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Do let us know using the\u00a0comment section below &#8211; Which <strong>free forum software<\/strong> or Internet forum software are you using to create your own forum website from scratch?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #39b54a;\">You might also like to see:<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/create-your-own-social-network-like-facebook\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to Create Your Own Social Network like Facebook<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Want to create a forum website for free using free discussion forum software? Here are top 8 best free forum software and open source forum software. As you<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13115,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[158,4,114],"tags":[55,153,57],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13111"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13111"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23069,"href":"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13111\/revisions\/23069"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zerodollartips.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}